He also shared that he an anchorman that he previously worked with was part of the list.
Former ABS-CBN News reporter Niko Baua recalled his experience and discovery while covering the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), otherwise known as pork barrel, scam coverage in 2013.
In the first of the 7-part Instagram story uploaded on Saturday, August 23, Baua shared, “One of my biggest frustrations was the pork barrel scam in 2013. Weeks before the story broke, only a handful of reporters knew how Janet Napoles allegedly abducted and detained Benhur Luy, and how the NBI (National Bureau of Investigation) rescued him.”
He added, the bureau had requested the media then to not report that rescue operation because they were still in the process of validating Luy’s claims. “They only knew about the full extent of Napoles’ ties to government officials after he was secured by the agents,” he added.
The former Kapamilya journo noted that Napoles, at the time, was not only friends with politicians, such as senators and congressmen, but also with reporters and anchors, generals, society figures and even members of the clergy.
“This was the largest corruption case the NBI had ever handled,” Baua described. “Luy and the DOJ knew that they needed help from the media in accurately explaining the whole scam, and that there was due process. they were very much aware that aside from Napoles, they were going against old and powerful political clans.”
He then remembered that at that point, the media personalities—him representing ABS-CBN and three others from Inquirer, GMA, and TV5—that knew about it were able to agree to not publish the story immediately.
“We saw the value rin kasi of waiting for the agents to complete at least most of the documentary evidence, than reporting it piecemeal—which might jeopardize the whole investigation.”
But on the sidelines, Niko Baua remembered, “we were all trying to get first access to the sworn statements, an interview with Luy, and the other whistleblowers.“
However, news was broke to him by then NBI chief that Benhur Luy, who became the whistleblower, did not want to get interviewed by ABS-CBN. When he asked why, there were no explanations given, except that Luy just did not want to.
“I knew that the agents vouched for me e, kasi naki-usap ako haha. Hindi ako Henry Omaga Diaz level syempre. Pero matino akong reporter, at maayos record ko. So why refuse? So unang akala ko, baka he’s really a Kapuso fan or whatever. I insisted that I get to talk to him kasi feeling ko I can convince him, and I’m really just makulit,” he recalled.
He continued, “So when we talked.. more like I begged lol, for even just a short interview. I was arguing that it would be in his best interest to give the story to us as well. And he said ‘sorry, but no.’ Kausapin ko na lang daw si chief. I had a feeling na nahiya na lang siya sa akin.”
Baua then revealed that after that incident, it was later explained to him that “some of the whistleblowers personally knew that certain reporters and anchors were in a payola funded by the scam.“
He described what he saw, and shared, “I was amused by that list, kasi bukod sa political reporters may showbiz reporters din. Marami sila, and they came from different media
outfits.“
Also part of the list was a certain anchorman whom he had worked with, which he told, was what cost him the story.
“Bribery in the industry, much like in government, is hard to prove. There are red flags though, and you can tell… alam mo na yon kumbaga. With this particular anchor, marami naghihinala. Pero in this instance, may nagconfirm, and I didnt have any reason to doubt,” he added.
Being annoyed by what happened, Baua remembered bumping into this anchroman walking across the hallway one time and taunted the said personality as he approached him.
“Hi, [redacted]. Baka matulungan mo ako. Ayaw magpainterview sa akin nung whistleblowers. Sabi nila kausapin daw kita, close daw kayo ni Janet,” he told the anchorman, who he said froze and stammered, and replied that he was only a mere acquaintance of Napoles.
“I always tell this story to young reporters as a warning that bribes aren’t worth it, bukod sa mali. Sure we’re poor, but do you want to be depraved as well? It’s a small industry where a lot of old reporters retire to become fixers, and we talk about these things in our own circles. Mahiya ka dapat kapag alam mong mapaguusapan ka sa ganyang paraan,” he ended his story.
Niko Baua is a former senior reporter for ABS-CBN News and he was previously assigned in the National Bureau of Investigation. He left the company in late 2024.